Morocco remains a sovereign and reliable partner in efforts to combat irregular migration and has never acted under pressure or coercion in managing migration flows, a senior government source said on Monday.
The statement was made after about 40,000 crossed into Ceuta in a major crossing that left 11 people dead, according to Morocco’s interior ministry.
The government source said migration was a complex phenomenon that required all parties to assume their responsibilities, stressing that Morocco had consistently fulfilled its role as a key transit and origin country on Europe’s southern border.
“Morocco has never yielded to pressure and has never acted under blackmail or coercion,” the source said.
“Commitment and responsibility have always been the driving force behind our actions,” he said.
Morocco’s contribution to controlling migration was often taken for granted despite the substantial resources devoted to the effort.
“If the western Mediterranean route has been among the least problematic for Europe in recent years, it is not because it is not targeted by trafficking networks, but because Morocco has deployed considerable means and continues to do so,” the source said.
Morocco has mobilized significant human, technical and financial resources to curb irregular migration and dismantle trafficking networks, according to the official.
The source also described cooperation between Rabat and Madrid on migration and border management as “exemplary”, highlighting coordination between the two countries in tackling cross-border trafficking and irregular migration.
According to official figures cited by the source, Moroccan authorities prevented 79,000 attempted irregular crossings in 2024 and 74,000 in 2025, for a total of roughly 160,000 attempts over the two-year period.
Authorities also dismantled 632 migrant-smuggling networks during 2024 and 2025 and carried out more than 32,000 maritime rescue operations over the same period, the source said.
Over the past five years, Morocco has foiled more than 360,000 attempted irregular crossings, according to the figures.
Morocco has long argued that migration cannot be addressed through security measures alone and has called for greater burden-sharing between countries of origin, transit and destination.
The government source reiterated that migration management was a shared responsibility, saying Morocco would continue to meet its obligations while expecting partners to assume theirs as well.
“We fully assume our responsibilities,” the source said, adding that the results of Morocco’s efforts had produced tangible benefits for all parties involved.
